BT92 not sticky enough for the casual road rider?

[ozracer]

Back brake is only useful when moderately braking or setting up for a corner while there is still weight on the back wheel. If you are braking really hard with the front brake you will have maximum weight on the front wheel and virtually no weight on the rear wheel, or the rear wheel may be in the air, rendering your rear brake totally useless.

[chrisja2]

I use my back brake a fair bit when ive gone off track and on the grass! Which happens more than id like.

Chris.

[DoktorMandrake]

Nothing to do with tyres. Sounds like the original poster was just overzealous with the back brake. You can lock most wheels up regardless of rubber if the brakes are good enough and you grab enough of em. Simple.

I do use my back brake on the road. Invaluable in town or for balancing the bike off the revs while creeping waiting for the lights to change etc. There's definitely an art to the back brake. It has its uses. Depends on your riding style though I s'pose.

[Lope]

Interesting posts. thanks guys.

Neosophist: So using the back brake in the first phase of braking is just to settle the rear suspension?
I know this is important, because when I've done hard braking on the front only I've felt the rear get very light and felt a bit of a wobble.
Oh, I see thats very clever. Letting off most of the rear brake because the weight is continually moving to the front, and holding constant pressure on the back brake would just lock the back wheel.

[Neosophist]

Indeed.

If the front are applied correctly i.e. 'progressivly, not agressivley' your back end will go light due to the weight transference to the front.. (think 'stoppie')

Practice stopping from 40km/h but be careful, you can still lock the wheels up and crash if your too agressive.. better to start off gently and work up till your happy.

This way when you need to stop quickly in a real world situation your brain goes straight to your practicing rather than a ham fisted pull as hard as possible approach :)

[nakes999]

I also use front only 98% of the time... and I make it a habit to practice 'emergency' braking when the roads are quiet... and don't just squeeze the lever... try practicing to load the front end by braking hard(not too hard) releasing quickly and braking again quickly.. and apply a little rear to slow you down even quicker.. easy on the rear because you don't wanna lock it... oh and I also gear down quickly while braking... but that may lock the rear wheel on the NC24?

Don't be too aggressive when you practice braking.. start out by just getting a feel for it...
It's saved my bacon a few times... I've had my front tyre scrape my bottom radiator far too many times... but when it scrapes I do the above technique before the wheel locks... you have a NC24 though so I don't think your front wheel will hit the rad under heavy braking...

[NGneer]

when I've done hard braking on the front only I've felt the rear get very light and felt a bit of a wobble.

As a few of the guys on here have said it is all to do with weight transfer. (Quoting Police bike safe/ROSPA advanced riding instructors).

When you are breaking it should always be a slow and progressive application "to load the front wheel" The front wheel contact area with the road under normal riding conditions is only about the size of an egg, so you don't want any harsh breaking. As you apply the front break "progressivley" the weight shift of the bike and rider means much more weight is transfered to the front tyre slightly squashing it onto the road surface - ergo increasing your surface area and grip. If the breaking effort is continued to be applied in a "progressive manner" (loading the front wheel as the police call it) you can litterally stand a bike on its nose (think stoppie) without locking up the front wheel or loosing control. Watch Rossi and alike as they head into a corner - back end waving all over the place but braking and bike still under control.

All the time you are applying breaking to the bike you are also reducing the similar egg sized contact area of the rear wheel with the road, so going light, or even skiping is not suprising and is not unexpected.

Look at the way they build bikes, the clues are there- x2 large discs on the front, x1 small disc on the rear.

rear break (IMHO) is for scrubbing of a little speed if you find yourself mid corner and a bit too fast or gentle breaking (in conjunction with the front) in very wet conditions.

As for "settling the suspension" with the rear brake, i think somone was spinning you a yarn when they told you that one.

Safe riding to ya

P.S. get on a track day. Best thing i ever did to learn about breaking, corners etc and they are sooooo much fun too.